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10. A Peaceful and Cozy Trap
Ansi’s pupils trembled.
It sounded like she had misheard something.
“Are you saying… you’re considering marrying me?”
“Yes.”
“You like me that much?”
“Yes.”
Despite the straightforward answer, the man turned his head as if embarrassed. Ansi looked at his profile with an expression of disbelief.
A quiet steam locomotive.
That’s what Ansi decided to call this man.
He’s even imagining such an outcome—he must be insane.
How could someone even harbor such emotions? Was it really possible to decide something as serious as marriage based on such a trivial feeling? Was he speaking without thought, or was he serious?
She didn’t know, and that confusion made her uneasy.
And rightfully so—Ansi didn’t believe in love.
While other girls her age read romance novels, she read history books. When her friends talked about the cost of ball gowns, she discussed the price of arugula grown in their estate.
When her close friend Elise said that marriage was a sacred rite shared with someone you love, Ansi found that reasoning ridiculous.
And now, the man trying to marry her based on that very ridiculous reason—was him? With her?
“I…”
All right. What’s the point of delaying? Let’s just get married now.
That’s what her mind told her to say. But the words wouldn’t come out. To think she might date and even marry a man of Orphe—whom she despised. An unrefined fear engulfed her.
“I…”
Her trembling voice slipped out. She quickly shut her mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to answer.
“Maybe I’m pushing too hard,”
Damion finally spoke, noticing her state.
“I knew you didn’t like me yet. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard so much about you from Colonel Lubelsa…”
“What?”
The truth he revealed next snapped her out of her hesitation.
“Ah, I didn’t mention it before. When I was in the military, I served under Colonel Lubelsa for a while. He often spoke about you. Said he had a smart and strong-willed daughter.”
“Did… my father talk about me a lot?”
A glimmer passed over the woman’s hesitant face.
A faint thrill swept over Damion. It was similar to the feeling right before a successful hunt.
He could’ve mentioned Colonel Lubelsa from the start, but he had been cautious. He didn’t know how she felt about the man who had ruined her future. If he wasn’t careful, emotions like grief and sorrow might cloud the feelings he was trying to spark.
He’d saved the “dead father” card for later because it could cause extreme reactions.
So instead, he used their meeting at the Jeff family’s charity event as the starting point.
Love at first sight—simple and intense—she must have replayed that idea in her head dozens of times over the past week.
Meanwhile, Damion learned that a young woman had recently visited Colonel Lubelsa’s long-neglected grave. And that the graffiti on the gravestone had been cleaned.
So now was the perfect time to play the card he’d held back.
“The colonel was very proud of you. He used to boast repeatedly that he had a beautiful and brilliant daughter in the capital. Hearing that made me excited, too.”
Powerful emotional ties between people have a way of making us see others differently. When unsure whether to reach out, they can be the nudge toward a decision.
In their case, that tie was Colonel Lubelsa.
And things went just as Damion had anticipated.
Ansi lowered her head in sadness, as if recalling her father, then slowly looked back up at Damion.
Her next words came out more gently than before.
“My father was a quiet man. If he spoke often, that must mean he trusted you greatly.”
“I respected him deeply as well.”
“Maybe… he even saw me as your future partner.”
“In fact, he once told me he wanted to entrust you to me.”
Damion chuckled and furrowed his brow slightly, a well-rehearsed expression of modest embarrassment.
The truth was, Colonel Lubelsa hadn’t talked openly about his daughter. As any father of a grown daughter would know, sharing too much could make her the subject of idle talk among men.
But it was true that the colonel had trusted Damion.
If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have asked him to save his wife while revealing the Count’s secret. He wouldn’t have pleaded for his wife and daughter to be protected after his death.
He had even told Damion that altering his partner’s fate would cost him his life force. He must have believed Damion wouldn’t use that knowledge to harm his daughter.
But Colonel Lubelsa had misjudged him.
Damion d’Orphe was a man who put his own goals above all else—and would gladly sacrifice others for them.
His purpose in life was to take Orphe.
During hellish times, he had asked himself again and again why he needed to survive. That was the conclusion he reached.
So while he did feel sorry for the colonel, his trust had become a finely sharpened blade in Damion’s hands.
“It may sound foolish, but I believe this is fate. Falling for you at first sight, being under Colonel Lubelsa’s command, and meeting you again now—all of it.”
It sounded convincing enough. Even Damion found himself almost believing his own words.
To this foolish woman, cornered as she was, it must feel like a lifeline.
“…Yes. It feels like fate.”
Her answer was plain.
But a vivid light flickered in her eyes—something that could only be described as certainty.
“To be honest, I thought you might regret saying you liked me.”
“Well…”
Damion tilted his head shyly, his soft blonde hair slipping forward with the movement.
“I’m sorry. You kept pretending not to see me. I acted childish.”
“I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“I know. But every little thing you do affects me so much. Even now, I’m anxious because I don’t know how you’ll answer.”
Ansi stared at Damion, who wore a bitter smile. Slowly blinking, she seemed to have made up her mind.
“Let’s date, then.”
Finally.
Damion smiled brightly. His usually composed face softened into something incredibly gentle.
Like an excited man in love, he gazed silently at her before pulling her into his arms.
Feeling his firm chest, Ansi involuntarily held her breath.
“Lord Damion.”
“I’ll treat you well.”
His gentle voice echoed in her ear. Though she stiffened for a moment, she soon raised her arms and hugged him back.
Damion’s lips curled upward.
The deer, trembling in fear, now accepted the food offered by the man with sparkling eyes.
Unaware that this peaceful, cozy place where the food was laid… was actually a trap he had set.
“Mom.”
Returning home, Ansi opened the door with water and medicine in hand.
Sophia de Lubelsa, the former Countess, was sound asleep in a narrow bed. As always, Ansi looked at the dried tear stains beneath her mother’s eyes and gently shook her.
“It’s time to take your medicine.”
“Derel…?”
Calling out her son’s name, Sophia opened her eyes. Seeing her daughter by the bedside, she smiled faintly.
“Oh, Ansi. I thought you were Derel.”
But brother is dead. Ansi swallowed the words.
After losing both her husband and son at once, Sophia’s mind had begun to falter. Half her time existed in the present, and the other half in the past. Sometimes it was hard to tell where she truly was.
“Just take the medicine and sleep a little more.”
“No, I ended up napping too long. I should get back to work. I think I enjoy knitting more than embroidery these days.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Ansi smiled slightly. Sophia stood up.
“Rain, I baked some fig pie. Want some?”
Whenever she called her daughter “Rain,” it meant she was lucid. To avoid accidentally calling her “Ansi” in front of others, she used that name regularly.
Ansi, staring silently at her mother, asked:
“Would you… like living in the capital?”
Sophia’s eyes widened, surprised—but she smiled gently.
“I’d love anywhere, as long as you’re there.”
Sophia left the room. From the small kitchen-living room, the sounds of her bustling movements echoed. Whenever she wanted to escape her pain, she kept herself busy.
“……”
The lump in Ansi’s chest swelled.
Still staring blankly at the door, she rose from her seat.
Striding toward the desk, she pulled out pen and paper and scribbled furiously. Like someone half out of their mind, she poured black ink across the page.
Then suddenly, she inhaled sharply.
Orphe.
Ansi held the paper, filled with that hated name, and walked straight to the candle, burning it to ash.
The name of her enemy turned black, then disappeared quickly.
Standing in the lingering smell of smoke, Ansi stared into the fire.
